Through the Student Health Center, UT students have access to services like annual physicals, physical therapy, X-ray and lab diagnostics, a pharmacy, and appointments for illness. This fall, to support higher utilization and a growing student body, the Student Health Center has hired a total of 11 student workers and two students completing practicums and internships to increase operational capacity and effectiveness. Each of these students are pursuing health-related fields, leading to advanced experiential learning opportunities and personal growth through their work at the Student Health Center.
“Student workers bring a unique benefit to our work as they can relate to the patients we serve, in turn helping us to better communicate and assist our patient population,” says Monica C. Sweeney, a board-certified family nurse practitioner who sees patients through the Acute Care Clinic at the Student Health Center. “Their presence also allows the center to extend its reach, as they can assist with administrative tasks, manage appointment check-ins, promote wellness programs, and support health education initiatives, freeing professional staff to focus on clinical care.”
These student workers are completing a myriad of tasks that help the center’s day-to-day operations. Students clean patient rooms, take vitals and initial patient histories at the beginning of appointments, and conduct point-of-care testing for rapid results. Student workers assist with pop-up events like seasonal vaccine clinics and rapid flu testing clinics. Students also review health and illness support requests, route calls received through the triage nurse line during periods of high volume, and support some of the center’s strategic initiatives, like infection control risk assessments.
“It’s helped me understand that maybe I can be involved in ways in my future that may go beyond clinical care. Because of my experience here, I now feel like ‘You know, I could be involved in an infection control committee or a quality assurance committee at a hospital, whereas before I wouldn’t have known what went into it.”
Lauren Hocker
Senior
Pursuing an Accelerated
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Since 100% of the students employed by the Student Health Center are pursuing careers in health-related fields, these paid roles also support expanded learning and growth, as students are able to tie what they learn in the classroom with the day-to-day tasks they experience. From nursing to psychology to kinesiology, more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate degree programs at UT create pathways for students to enter the health care field, and this employment opportunity at the Student Health Center now creates a space for interested students to get hands-on learning in those areas before ever leaving campus.
“Shadowing in the UT Student Health Center this past semester has been such an impactful experience. Being able to observe actual day-to-day patient care allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to work in healthcare. Each provider that I shadowed showed an inspiring amount of compassion, care, and dedication for their patients. This experience not only strengthened my knowledge but also my motivation, making me even more excited about my future healthcare career.”
Emma Miyamoto
Junior Studying Kinesiology
Kendl Reagan, a senior studying psychology, says, “It’s been interesting to help, even with paperwork or health and illness support requests, because I think I’m getting a leg up on things like medical terminology, charting, and seeing how different providers do differential diagnosis that will help me in medical school.”
Sweeney adds, “Our personal experience with student workers has also proven beneficial to us, as it helps to maintain focus on educating future health care professionals. You can see their confidence increase as they gain hands-on experience through their time here. This mutually beneficial arrangement helps the Student Health Center operate more smoothly while fostering a knowledgeable and engaged student workforce.”
Student Health Center By The Numbers
Since August 1, the Student Health Center saw 5,459 patients through 11,827 individual appointments.
During the fall semester, the Student Health Center hosted 14 seasonal vaccine clinics where 909 vaccines were administered to 706 students, faculty, and staff members.
UT’s Student Health Center is the only accredited center in the entire state that serves university students. The Student Health Center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), a governing body that grants accreditation to clinics, community health centers, military health centers, oncology centers, and many other types of facilities. This status requires a heavy lift for records and documentation, and students have supported this effort alongside professional Student Health Center staff.